Mutual Symbiosis
by greaserslady
Summary: Can a young woman who has no business being in Dauntless survive initiation? Perhaps more importantly, can she survive Eric Coulter's interest in her? When all hell breaks loose and it comes to light that she's Divergent, will he turn on her or will she help him see the world differently? Eric/OC
1. Chapter 1

"Dauntless!" Cheers erupted from the rowdiest faction as Marcus Eaton announced Bianca's decision.

With a glance towards the Abnegation leader, Bianca turned and made her way back to her home faction. She received a warm welcome, with hugs and pats on the back, from her friends and a thumbs-up from her dad. She forced a smile on her face and sat down to watch the rest of the teenagers make their choice, not really paying any attention. Her mind was reeling with whether or not she had made the right decision to stay in Dauntless. She already knew the answer to that, though.

No. She had stayed in Dauntless because she was afraid of leaving her dad. She was afraid of being on her own. She was afraid of being discovered as Divergent. Her aptitude results had been inconclusive, of course, but Tori, who happened to be her administrator for the aptitude test, had strongly urged her to transfer to either Amity or Abnegation, where she'd be the safest. It wasn't that easy, however. At least, not for Bianca.

Bianca Davies was her father's only joy in this world. Her mother, having become sick and unable to keep up with the Dauntless lifestyle, had taken her own life not three years earlier. Since then Bianca had become the rock that her father, Axel, leaned on. Nothing was going to separate them, that she would be sure of.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as one of her best friends, Lynn, silently sat down beside her. Her decision wasn't shocking at all. With her shaved head, pierced ears and tattoos, as well as her biting attitude, Lynn wouldn't fit well in any faction other than Dauntless.

Bianca was the exact opposite. Her hair was long, wavy and chestnut brown, and she spent way too much time styling it each morning. Her tanned skin was free of tattoos and her only piercings were her earlobes and her bellybutton. She preferred dresses and heels to leather jackets and combat boots. She'd be much happier spending all day in her tiny garden or reading a book than training in the gym or jumping off buildings. To sum things up, she was the worst Dauntless ever.

"Here we go," Lynn muttered to her, the last initiate having made their choice and the ceremony coming to an end.

Their friends and family immediately jumped up and ran out of the hall, into the stairwell. It was business as usual for the Dauntless-born initiates, but the transfers were caught off guard as they burst outside and sprinted to the train tracks. Bianca grunted as she pulled herself up just behind Lynn, her other best friend, Marlene, to her right. Out of the three, Bianca was the least physically fit. She knew she was going to need to step her game up during the next few weeks to ensure she ranked well. The last thing she wanted was to get stuck guarding the fence or cleaning the compound. Those were the kind of jobs the lower ranked initiates always ended up with. She wanted to work in the hair salon or designing clothes, if the former wasn't available to her. Out of all the jobs at Dauntless, those were the two that appealed to her the most.

"Come on, B!" Lynn stuck her hand out, having already hauled herself onto the train platform. Bianca groaned as she let Lynn yank her up the rest of the way, coming to kneel on the tracks as they waited for the train. "You're gonna have to do better than that. A few of these transfers look tough." Lynn's voice was low enough for only Bianca to hear, and for that she was grateful. If the other initiates knew she wasn't up to par with the other Dauntless-borns, it'd make her a target to be pushed around.

Bianca nodded and the trio of young women launched themselves on the train as it sped past. They leaned against the wall and were greeted with the grinning face of Uriah as he sauntered over to them. Bianca hid her smirk as his eyes momentarily swept over Marlene; those two were definitely going to end up dating sooner or later.

"You guys hear that Four is going to be training one of the groups of initiates this year?" he asked, grin still plastered on his face.

"Why is that so exciting?" Lynn questioned in a bored tone.

"Man, that guy's a beast! With his training, and the skills I already have, I'll dominate the rankings!"

To their credit, the young women waited about five seconds before erupting into laughter. Uriah's grin faltered and he crossed his arms in irritation. The train slowed, alerting them to the upcoming jump they'd have to make to re-enter the Dauntless compound. Uriah gave them one last look, and a rather rude hand gesture, before jumping off the train.

Bianca, Lynn and Marlene jumped from the train together and only stumbled slightly as they landed. That was more than they could say for the transfers falling on their faces all around them, not to mention the one who didn't make the gap. Bianca felt bile rise in the back of her throat at the sound that echoed when the kid's body hit the cement far below. She quickly walked towards the Dauntless members standing on the opposite side of the roof to put distance between herself and the gaping initiates.

"Listen up, I'm Eric," Bianca's head snapped up when she heard that familiar voice. Their newest leader, Eric, was standing on the edge of the roof and looking over the initiates like he was the predator and they were the prey. She attempted to shrink back behind Lynn and Marlene but his eyes were already on hers, his lips twitching up into a smirk.

"I'm one of your leaders. If you want to enter Dauntless, this is the way in. If you don't have the guts to jump, then you don't belong in Dauntless." He was so matter-of-fact, so aloof, that it gave the impression that he genuinely didn't care if you jumped or not. Some might think that it was an act to scare them, but Bianca knew that he really didn't give a crap about any of them. None of the weak ones, anyway. The strong ones could prove to be useful.

"Is there water at the bottom or something?" one of the transfers from Erudite asked. Bianca shut her eyes in amazement that he actually expected an answer from the leader. She knew Eric's response before he even opened his mouth.

"Guess you'll find out," Eric coolly replied. "Who's first?"

Bianca remained firmly rooted to her spot and refused to make eye contact with him, even though she could feel his grey eyes staring at her expectantly. She knew it would be wise to go first; it would help her rankings at least a little. It would also show the others that she was just as much Dauntless as the rest of her peers, even if she didn't quite look the part. But she wanted to stall walking up next to him for as long as possible.

After a few moments silence, everyone was shocked when a skinny girl from Abnegation stepped forward. She was shaking as she took off her sweater and looked down at the gaping hole in the ground. Bianca knew it was terrifying to look down at nothingness and be told you need to blindly leap into it. Young Dauntless members would sneak up to the rooftop to get a look at the entrance, even though they weren't supposed to. Some would even leap into the net suspended below the surface. It almost always resulted in work detail that included scrubbing toilets.

"Alright Stiff, take it off," a Candor transfer called out lewdly. He quickly added "Put it back on," in a quieter voice.

"You're pretty rude, aren't you?" Bianca snapped at him, unable to hold her tongue. It wasn't like her to lash out, but she was tense to begin with and his better-than-thou attitude rubbed her the wrong way.

He let his eyes sweep over her body before smirking at her. "And you're just pretty. How about we hang out later?"

Bianca scoffed and turned away from him just in time to catch Eric's steely gaze. "Today, initiate," he said impatiently, and just like that the girl from Abnegation lept over the edge. "Next?"

Uriah was at the front of the group before Bianca could blink, barely hesitating before leaping off the roof. Bianca rolled her eyes at the cocky grin on his face but laughed nonetheless. All of the initiates formed a line and she wound up towards the end with Marlene and Lynn. It went surprisingly fast, mainly because Eric would bark at anyone who took longer than a couple seconds to jump. With each step forward she became just a little more anxious, to the point where Lynn shot her a questioning look. She just shook her head and said they'd talk about it later; there were too many prying eyes on the roof.

"Next," Eric called out again, this time looking directly at Bianca who could no longer hide behind anyone.

Squaring her shoulders, Bianca stepped up to the edge of the roof. Neither the height nor the fall is what made her nervous. It was the proximity to their youngest leader. As she carefully climbed onto the ledge, she could feel him move closer to her. She started to lean forward when a tug on the back of her dress made her halt in mid-fall. Her head shot around to look at him and that damned smirk was back on his face. If she was a true Dauntless she'd smack it off, but that courage didn't live within her.

"Come to my office when Lauren is done with you," he said, quietly enough so she was the only one that could hear him. Then the bastard shoved her and she was plummeting towards the net far below.

* * *

 _"Bianca, could you watch the shop for a few minutes? I need to run home and change," her aunt called out from the back of the shop. Bianca nodded with a grin, trying her best not to laugh at her aunt's disheveled state. She had just finished dying a girl's impossibly long hair bright pink, and the dye was everywhere._

 _"Take your time, Aunt Hadley," she replied as the older woman walked out. Not thirty seconds later a large figure entered the salon._

 _"Bianca, my favorite hairdresser," Eric's voice boomed, his signature smirk tugging on his lips._

 _She spun around to see the Dauntless leader sinking into the chair closest to her. Her cheeks tinged pink with the way he eyed her bare legs, the black shorts cut off at her upper thigh. To say that she found him attractive was an understatement, but she wasn't an idiot. He was dangerous, too. You didn't get to be the youngest leader in Dauntless history by being Mr. Nice Guy._

 _"I'm not a hairdresser; just an apprentice," she corrected him as she picked up a pair of scissors and moved behind him. She had to lower the chair in order to see his head clearly, the difference in their height being quite impressive._

 _"In a few weeks that will change," he replied, his sharp eyes watching intently as she began trimming his hair. She shrugged and tried not to make eye contact, but his eyes were like a magnet that drew her gaze back to the mirror. "When you pass initiation, you'll become a hairdresser, or whatever the hell else you want to do," his tone was low this time, daring her to argue with him._

 _"And if I transfer?" she asked innocently, finishing with the longer parts of his hair and moving around the chair to retrieve a razor for the sides. His large hand caught her forearm and pulled her back to look at him._

 _"We both know you're not leaving Dauntless," he answered, and she knew he was right. She'd known for years that she could never will herself to leave. But she didn't enjoy being told what she would and wouldn't do, even if it was by a leader._

 _Again she shrugged, pulling her arm out of Eric's grasp. "I guess we'll find out," she relented. "Now can I finish your hair?"_

* * *

The air left her lungs as she hit the net and the ropes scratched at her arms and legs. She rolled to the side and accepted Four's outstretched arms for help climbing down. He set her on the ground and asked what she knew he'd asked each initiate.

"Making any changes to your name?" She shook her head 'no'. "Tenth jumper, Bianca!" he called to the crowd welcoming the newest batch of Dauntless members. Everyone cheered and Four wished her luck as the next jumper hit the net.

When everyone had made the plunge from the roof, they separted into two groups and went with their respective trainers. Transfers with Four and Dauntless-born with Lauren. Bianca knew Lauren well from her aunt's salon and was happy to have her as a trainer. She was as tough as anyone in Dauntless, but she was kind, too. She'd try to help them grow, not break them.

The benefit to being Dauntless-born was that they didn't need a grand tour of the compound. Lauren brought them directly to their dorms and showed them a sign she had posted on the wall with their schedule for the coming weeks. There was an early morning run every day, followed by strength and endurance training. Bianca was tired just reading the words on the page. Lauren told them to be on time for dinner and to get plenty of sleep that night; it would be the last full night they'd have for a while.

"Well, what do you guys think of the competition?" Uriah asked as soon as Lauren left them to their own devices. That was all the prompting the rest of the initiates needed to start animatedly talking about the transfers. Bianca attempted to slip from the dorms unnoticed but Lynn was on her like a fox on a rabbit.

"Where you going?" she asked, though the look in her eyes told Bianca that she had a suspicion.

Bianca sighed and ran her hands through her long hair. "He told me to come to his office," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. Lynn was fully aware of how Eric had seemed to take an interest in her friend since the first time he'd met her.

* * *

 _"Lynn, this really isn't my scene," Bianca complained as they entered the dance club. It was her eighteenth birthday and her friends had vowed to show her 'the time of her life'. In Dauntless terms that meant drinking, partying and doing increasingly stupid things. All of the things that Bianca had managed to mostly avoid up until this point._

 _Lynn scoffed. "You don't_ have _a scene, which is why we're here. You need to loosen up a little bit," she grinned at her friend, showing that she was only teasing. Bianca rolled her eyes but laughed quietly. One night couldn't hurt, right?_

 _As soon as they reached the table that Marlene and Uriah had saved for them, a drink was pressed into her hand and the four of them toasted her birthday. She was the last of them to turn eighteen and they were all excited to finally be adults. Once the alcohol was working its way into their systems, they spilled from their table and onto the dance floor._

 _There were dozens of people all moving to the pulsing music and in the darkness it was easy to lose track of each other. Bianca spun around to grab Lynn by the hands and dance with her, only to find the shorter girl gone. Instead she came face-to-face, or face-to-chest, with a familiar face._

 _"Eric," she breathed, slightly out of breath from dancing. The youngest Dauntless leader was easily identifiable with his large frame, unique hair, tattoos and piercings. She'd never spoken with him before, but he was a familiar face around the compound._

 _He narrowed his eyes down at her. "Are you old enough to be in here?" he asked sternly._

 _She nodded emphatically and fished her identification out of the pocket of her dress. "I turned eighteen today," she explained, her face hot from either all of the bodies still moving around them or embarresment for being questioned by a leader in public._

 _Eric nodded and handed her ID back to her, his eyes no less stern but also showing the slightest intrigue. "Well have a happy birthday, Bianca Davies," he said and nodded to show that she was dismissed._

 _She quickly found Lynn and gulped down the rest of her drink to shake off the nervous energy. "What was that about?" Lynn asked as they made their way to the bar for a second round._

 _"He was just asking if I was underage," Bianca explained, but she couldn't shake the way he'd said her name. He said it like one would say a promise or a threat, she couldn't decide which it was._

 _Two weeks later Bianca was putting the finishing touches on Lynn's newest hairstyle, Marlene watching from her perch on top of the vanity. She was quickly learning the ins and outs of cutting hair, thanks to practically growing up in the salon with her aunt and mom. Now that her mom was gone she felt like one way to be closer to her would be taking over her position as a hairdresser._

 _The girls were interrupted from their chatting by heavy footsteps entering the salon. They looked up to see Eric standing a few feet away, his eyes on Bianca. "Have time to give me a trim?" he asked, already placing himself in a chair._

 _"Well, yeah, but I'm only an apprentice. My aunt will be back in a few minutes..." she said hesitantly, approaching him the same way one would approach a wild animal._

 _"You'll be fine," he said with a smirk, his eyes making a quick sweep of her body._

 _She blushed deeply and retrieved the scissors from the vanity in front of which he was sitting. With slightly shaking hands she began trimming the longer sections of his hair, hoping that she wasn't making it too short. His eyes were on her the entire time. It was unnerving._

 _Cutting his hair didn't take long at all, considering he didn't have much. She was extra careful with the clippers to be sure the back of his neck and around his ears were trimmed neatly. When she was finished she brushed his shoulders free of loose hairs and stepped back, giving him space to inspect her work. He leaned in close to the mirror and scrutinized it for a minute before grinning at her. He seemed pleased enough, but she couldn't stop the fleeting image of a wolf baring his fangs from entering her mind._

 _"See? You're a natural," he patted her shoulder lightly before handing her his points card, the way they all paid for goods and services. She scanned it on the computer and promptly handed it back to him._

 _"Thank you," she said with a smile, attempting to regain her composure. He seemed very capable of throwing her off, she noticed. She also noticed that the more flustered she became, the happier he appeared._

 _"Same time next week?" he asked as he backed towards the door, smirk firmly in place. She could only nod and he disappeared out the door._

 _Her body relaxed immediately and she flopped into the chair he'd just vacated, unwillingly noting how good it smelled. Lynn and Marlene, who had silently observed the whole interaction, pounced on their friend at once._

 _"What was that?" Marlene asked._

 _"Was that the first time he's been here?" Lynn followed._

 _Bianca groaned and covered her face with her hands. "I don't know what that was! And yes, it's the first time."_

 _Marlene leaned against the wall and smiled knowingly. "He likes you," she said smugly._

 _"I think that's obvious," Lynn added snidely. Marlene just chuckled, clearly excited with this prospect._

 _"Why me?" Bianca asked, genuinely confused and uncomfortable with the attention. Her friends looked at her like she'd suddenly sprouted a second head._

 _"Um, hello?" Marlene waved her arms at Bianca, who shook her head, confused. "You're gorgeous, girl!"_

 _Bianca scoffed and rolled her eyes. "There are a lot of women who are much more attractive than me in Dauntless. Not to mention closer to his age."_

 _"He's only twenty," Marlene reminded her. It was easy to forget how young he was when he was a leader._

 _"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Bianca declared, standing from the chair and shooing her friends from the salon._

* * *

"Be careful," Lynn said and hurried back to the group before they were missed. Bianca knew her friend would cover for her if anyone asked where she went.

The compound was buzzing with excitement, as it always is on Choosing Day, so picking her way through the halls and up staircases took a little longer than it normally would have. She smiled at everyone she knew and accepted hugs as quickly as she could, anxious to get to Eric's office before he grew impatient. She'd never had to deal with him in a foul mood before, but she'd witnessed him scolding other members of Dauntless and it was a formidable sight.

Finally she was able to climb the stairs that led to the leaders' offices and hurried to the first door on the right, 'Eric Coulter' in bold letters on the glass. She could see him sitting behind his desk, eyes trained on the tablet in his hand. Before she could knock he looked up and motioned her inside. Once she was in his office that familiar tenseness returned and she stiffly walked to stand in the middle of the room, keeping a decent amount of distance between them.

"Do I make you nervous, Bianca?" he asked smugly as he stood from his chair and set his tablet aside.

"Of course not," she lied, shifting her eyes from him to the window overlooking the city. His chuckle brought her eyes back to him.

"You wouldn't have fit in well with Candor, would you?" he asked and she knew that was his way of calling her bluff. He continued walking until he was only a foot away from her, forcing her to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact.

"What do you want with me?" she finally asked after a few moments' silence. He raised his eyebrows at her bluntness and for a second she thought he was going to reprimand her for speaking to a leader in such a tone. She was almost ready to apologize when he grinned. That same grin from the salon that made her feel like a rabbit facing down a ravenous beast.

"You honestly don't know?" he asked, to which she shook her head. "You are the most beautiful woman in Dauntless, and I'd argue this entire city, and you don't know what I want with you?"

Bianca's face slowly turned beet-red, followed quickly by her ears and neck. "I-I'm not-," she started to weakly object, stunned by his words.

Eric seized her chin in his hand, shushing her, and brought his face down to her level. "I'm the strongest, smartest leader Dauntless has ever known, and I deserve to have a woman like you beside me."

He made sure the words registered with her before he straightened up and walked back to his desk. "We've made some changes to the initiation process this year. Myself, Lauren and Four will go over them with everyone else tomorrow, but I wanted to give you a heads up. Not everyone will be remaining here in Dauntless."

Bianca's brain suddenly cleared from the fog it had been in following his decree of how he deserves her. "What's that supposed to mean? Will they be...?"

"Factionless," Eric confirmed with a nod, as if they were discussing what teas they liked best. "And unless you're secretly a ninja, I don't think you'll be able beat out the rest of the initiates without some extra help."

She couldn't argue with him there, as much as she'd like to, because her worst fear was ending up at the bottom of the list and getting stuck with fence duty. But now it was a completely different ballgame. As soon as everyone else found out that the bottom initiates were getting cut, they were going to be ruthless in training and fighting. She wasn't stupid; she knew she wouldn't be able to hold her own as she was.

"What are you offering?" she asked carefully, walking to the window and looking out at the darkening city.

"Something the other initiates wouldn't hesitate to kill for: private training with me. Adjusting your record, if I have to." He was so calm about cheating that she had to wonder if he'd done this before. Maybe someone helped him when he was transferring from Erudite. Bianca stored those questions away for later, knowing any prying could spark his legendary temper.

She turned to face him and perched delicately on the windowsill, crossing her ankles in front of her. "And in return you get me? I don't particularly like the thought of just throwing myself at your mercy."

Eric chuckled and approached her, one of his large hands resting on the glass above her head. "How about this: I train you every day this coming week, and on Sunday, when the rest of the initiates have the day off, you'll have dinner with me?"

"Coffee," she immediately countered, quirking her eyebrow at him. Just because she was tentatively agreeing to his terms didn't mean she had to make it easy for him. She refused to be an object that could be won just by doing a few favors. When he didn't answer right away and that dangerous gleam was back in his eyes, she thought she might have pushed too much.

"You might find that you don't like me enough to sit through an entire meal. I've been told I'm rather boring," she amended, to which he smirked.

"I seriously doubt that, Bianca," he said, his free hand moving to settle on her waist. It was only there for a half of a second before a beep on his tablet broke the silence.

"I better get back," she said as she stood and ducked around him.

"Be in the leaders' training room at four tomorrow," he called after her.

She spun around and gaped at him. "A.M.?!"

This time he actually laughed out loud, which possibly startled her more than anything else he'd done up to that point. "You'll need to be done by six to make it to your morning run."

She frowned but nodded nonetheless, not in much of a position to argue. "I'm definitely going to be needing a lot of coffee over the next few weeks," she mumbled, opening the door without so much of a 'bye' to Eric.

"That can be arranged," she heard him call after her and sent a rude gesture over her head as she disappeared down the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2

Four a.m. came around far too quickly for Bianca's liking. Sporting her training clothes and her hair gathered into a messy bun, she pushed the door to the leaders' training room open and stopped in her tracks. Eric was already there getting warmed up, hanging from a bar on the wall and pulling himself up rapidly. The muscles in his large arms were absolutely bulging and Bianca found it difficult to tear her eyes away.

"Start stretching," he called out to her as he dropped down to the floor.

Snapped out of her stupor, Bianca walked to a mat and began stretching out her muscles, gearing them up for what she was assuming would be a rigorous couple of hours. She could hear Eric walking around the room and she focused her eyes on the floor, trying to shake the feeling of being stalked.

"Let's see what I'm working with," he said lowly as he came to stand next to her. She stood up straight and eyed him warily, not entirely trusting what he had in mind. He smirked down at her and added, "Do as many push-ups as you can."

Push-ups were a relief compared to the things her brain had cooked up. Getting into position on the floor, Bianca slowly lowered and raised herself. Three times. On the fourth time down her arms gave out and she hit the mat with an 'oomph'.

"Seriously?" Eric's snide voice asked from above her.

With an embarrassed groan Bianca rolled over and looked up at him. "Still want to help me?"

"I'm pretty sure you'll die if I don't," he said, the hint of a smirk on his lips as he held out his hand to help her up.

* * *

"Where were you?" Lynn asked as soon as Bianca appeared in the dorms. Everyone was just finishing getting ready for the day while the petite brunette was gearing up for round two. Eric had pushed her hard during their first training session but allowed her the last fifteen minutes to cool down, which she was grateful for.

"I went for a walk to get warmed up," Bianca lied, looking away from her friend. She'd decided to withhold the fact that Eric was helping her. She wasn't sure how Lynn and Marlene would react to her getting special treatment and worried they would resent her. The fiery Dauntless-born looked ready to call Bianca's bluff but they were interrupted by Lindsey shouting at them.

"Let's go, initiates! You have thirty minutes to eat before your run!"

The dining hall was quiet as the initiates filled their plates and sat down. Bianca was ravenous from her training and dug into her eggs like a starving woman.

"Damn," Uriah commented, chuckling along with Lynn and Marlene. Bianca looked up from her plate and sheepishly wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"Have to keep our energy up, you know," she said with a shrug. Suddenly the seat next to her filled and a body was invading her personal space.

"Good morning, gorgeous," the overly confident voice of the Candor transfer met Bianca's ears.

She sent him an irritated look as she sipped her juice, trying to ignore him in the hope he would go away. Lynn, on the other hand, took a more direct approach.

"The transfers are sitting over there," she said firmly, pointing at the table the rest of the transfer initiates were gathered around.

Candor ignored her and instead turned on the bench so he was facing Bianca fully. She tried to continue eating as if he wasn't there but he was determined. "So I was thinking-"

"Don't hurt yourself," Uriah joked, causing the table to chuckle at the transfer's expense.

He rolled his eyes before starting again, this time leaning closer to Bianca so she had no choice but to look at him. "I was thinking we should hang out this Sunday when we have time off. Maybe you could show me a little more of this place."

"I don't even know your name," Bianca pointed out, eyebrows furrowed and disbelief in her voice.

"My name's Peter," he said with a cocky smile, holding out a hand for her to shake. When she simply glanced at the offered hand and made no move to take it, he let it drop. He was going to say something else but when he opened his mouth and large body came to stand beside their table.

"Better get moving, initiates," Eric's deep voice had them all snapping their eyes up to him. His hand were balled into fists as he eyed Peter dangerously. Without a second thought they all stood from their seats and dispersed.

After dumping her tray of food in the cleaning bin, Bianca exited the dining hall, only to gasp in surprise at being tugged into a dark hallway. The firm hand that had grabbed her left her arm to cover her mouth, muffling any shout she may give. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim lighting and she saw it was Eric who held her.

"Eric, what are you doing?" she asked, shoving his hand off her mouth.

"Watch the Candor," he said, grey eyes glaring down at her.

Bianca stared at him for a moment before a slow grin crept across her face. "You're _jealous_!" she said with a laugh, taking a step away from him to lean against the wall.

His reaction was instant; he crowded her, their bodies almost touching, and placed his forearms on the wall on either side of her head. She instantly stopped laughing, instead looking at him with apprehension.

"Is there something for me to be jealous about?" he asked in a low voice, daring her to make him mad.

Bianca raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You think I'd do something with him?" When Eric didn't answer she scoffed and ducked to escape his cage. She put some space between them and started to back out of the hallway, knowing she was almost late for training with Lauren.

"We have an agreement, Eric. I don't plan on breaking it. If you're so worried about Peter, _you_ watch him." With that, she left him standing there seething, trying her best to appear confident while on the inside she was terrified. She didn't know what kind of monster she'd just poked, but she felt like things were about to get a little more complicated.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Lauren led the Dauntless-born initiates into the training center, freshly back from their morning run, Bianca was dragging at the back of the pack. She practically collapsed onto the floor as she laid down, cherishing the coolness of the stone on her skin. The voices of Eric and Four vaguely met her ears from across the room. She lolled her head to the side and saw the transfers lined up and looking terrified. So they heard the bad news then.

"Drink," Marlene said as she plopped down next to her, pressing a cold water bottle into her hand. Bianca forced herself into a sitting position and greedily drank the water.

Ominous footsteps alerted them to Eric's presence and a quick 'line up' snapped from Lauren had everyone assembled before their leader.

"Obviously I don't have to give you the same spiel I gave the transfers, but there is something I do need to tell you. The initiates who fail to perform to our standards and remain above the line on the scoreboard are going to be cut."

There was silence as the group attempted to process what was just laid on them. Going into initiation they knew that if they didn't do well they'd end up with the worst jobs in the faction. Now they ran the risk of getting thrown out entirely. Bianca avoided eye contact with anyone, afraid that the look on her face would give away the fact that this wasn't news to her.

Eric nodded to Lauren, who instructed the stunned group of initiates to move to the far side of the training center where there were punching bags hung from the ceiling. They had no choice but to accept that some of them may not make it into their home faction and instead would be cast onto the streets as Factionless. Perhaps Bianca was imagining things, but as the initiates began delivering strikes to the bags in front of them there seemed to be more determination behind their eyes than there had been only minutes before.

Wake up. Get ass kicked by Eric. Get ass kicked by Lauren. Try to dodge Candor transfers. Crash. Repeat.

By the time Sunday rolled around, Bianca was exhausted, bruised and sore. Despite how much her body protested, she stood from her cot and made a bee-line for the showers before anyone else woke. The rest of them may have the luxury of sleeping in, but she had coffee with Eric that morning and she wasn't about to be late.

Dressed in a simple black dress and heels, a welcome change to the training clothes she'd donned every day for the past week, she was curling her hair when the familiar figures of her best friends appeared beside her.

"Going somewhere?" Marlene asked, a knowing smirk on her face.

"It's him, isn't it?" Lynn demanded, much less amused with the situation. "You've been seeing him all week."

"Shh!" Bianca frantically whispered, looking to see if any of the others were awake. "Yes, okay? I've been training with him in the mornings and I'm going to have coffee with him today."

"He's giving you extra help?" Lynn asked, and Bianca couldn't tell if she was mad or relieved.

"Well thank god for that," Marlene said with a snort. Bianca glared at her reflection in the mirror as she resumed getting ready.

"Hey! I'm not _that_ bad!" The three of them were quiet for a few moments before they all dissolved into laughter. "Okay, yeah, I am." Sounds from the dorm alerted the trio to the other transfers waking up.

"We'll catch you at lunch, B. Have fun!" Marlene winked at her.

"Be careful," Lynn warned quietly.

Bianca couldn't believe how well her best friends were reacting to Eric helping her and she felt guilty for thinking they would resent her. She hugged them both tightly before exiting the dorms.

Almost immediately someone fell into step beside her as she walked down the hall and she didn't even have to glance at them to know who it was.

"You look gorgeous," Peter laid on the charm right from the start. "You want to grab some coffee?"

Bianca almost snorted with laughter. "I'm meeting someone." She didn't elaborate, seeing as it wasn't his business.

"Who?" he asked, keeping pace with her as she climbed the stairs to the leaders' offices.

"Bianca," Eric's deep voice rumbled from above them, and they both snapped their heads up to meet his fearsome gaze.

"Anymore questions?" Bianca asked Peter, who shook his head and made a quick retreat to the safety of the lower floors.

"Good morning," she greeted Eric as she stepped past him and let herself into his office. She hesitated once inside, surprised to see a small table and chairs set up beside the window, coffee and muffins set up neatly on top.

The door clicked shut behind her and she was spun around by Eric's firm hand on her arm. "What was that? I told you to watch the Candor," he demanded, face only a few inches from hers. It was all too reminiscent of nearly a week prior when he'd yanked her into the hallway.

"And I told you to watch him yourself, Eric," she calmly told him back, hoping her eyes didn't show how nervous she felt. He was so intense, not to mention he could crush her like a bug. She decided that taunting a wild beast was never a wise move. Placing a soft hand on the hand that was still holding her arm, she pried it off and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Let's have some coffee and forget about annoying transfers," she said with a small smirk. She could see him visibly shift from irritated to complacent and they took their seats at the table.

Eric, unsurprisingly, drank his coffee black without any sugar, while Bianca dolled hers up with plenty of both sugar and milk. She sighed happily as the first sip slipped past her lips, closing her eyes briefly.

"How are you feeling?" Eric asked, his voice much calmer than it had been minutes before. His eyes were practically glowing with laughter and his trademark smirk was firmly in place, making Bianca want to smack him.

"Like I've been run over by a train," she answered honestly, turning her arms around to show off a few bruises from hand-to-hand combat training.

Eric huffed and rolled his eyes. "It's going to get a lot worse tomorrow." Bianca gave him a questioning look. "The real fights start," he explained.

"Already?" she asked with a frown. They'd only been training a week and they were already going to have real fights? "Do you know who I'm going up against?"

"Obviously," he replied. He made a show of leaning back in his chair with his coffee, completely ignroing the anxious look on Bianca's face.

Bianca sighed with irritation. "Are you going to tell me?"

"I think that information is worth more than coffee," he answered with a grin.

She rolled her eyes at him and traded her coffee for a delicious-looking chocolate muffin. "I guess I'll wait until tomorrow to find out," she said with a shrug.

Eric was able to quietly glare at her for a total of five seconds before also rolling his eyes and sighing dramaticaly. "It's the Erudite transfer-Will."

Bianca nodded as she chewed; it could certainly be worse. Thinking of all the initiates, Will seemed relatively mild and even though she was certain she'd lose regardless, she was hoping she could at least put up a fair fight.

Twenty minutes later their cups were empty and Bianca decided it was time to make her way back to the dorms, lest the others start questioning her absence. Standing from her seat caused her to realize how sore her body truly was. It felt like every muscle had frozen up in her time sitting with Eric and she groaned quietly as she stretched.

"That sore, huh?" Eric questioned as he stood and walked around the table to stand in front of her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, causing her to gasp in pain.

"I just need to rest," she mumbled, pulling away from him.

Eric hummed in response, clearly not believing her. "Follow me," he commanded simply, then turned and strode out of his office. Bianca blinked before hurrying after him.

He led her down several hallways to a residential area of the compound that she'd never been in before. She realized from the amount of space between the doors that this was where the leaders' apartments were located. Just as she'd come to that conclusion, they stopped in front of a door and Eric swiped his key card, then pushed the door open and motioned her inside.

Eric's apartment was enormous, to put it simply. But it was also incredibly impersonal. There were no decorations, pictures, plants; there was nothing that wasn't absolutely nessecary. The floors were bare tile, the walls clean white. They passed through the living room that contained a simple black sofa and coffee table, then moved outside to a large balcony.

Bianca stopped in her tracks as she looked out over the incredible view of the city. They were much higher up than her apartment was and she certainly didn't have a balcony. A shuffling noise caught her attention and she turned to see Eric pulling a tarp off of a hot tub. Steam rose up as the cover was removed; clearly he had been planning on using it at some point today.

"What are you doing?" she asked nervously as the Dauntless leader shed his shirt. She felt her face heating up as his naked torso was exposed to her and quickly looked away.

Eric chuckled at her reaction and she could feel the smugness radiating off him in waves. "Don't turn into a Stiff, Bianca. The hot water will help relax your muscles."

"I can do that in the shower," she answered, chancing a glance at him and immediately turning away when she saw that his pants had joined his shirt on the floor.

It was quiet for a few moments and that should have told Bianca that Eric was up to something. Unfortunately he acted before she realized this and in a blur of flailing limbs she was scooped up and deposited in the hot tub. She stood up with a gasp, her once perfectly curled hair sticking to her face and her dress soaked.

"Eric!" she gasped, pushing her hair back to glare at him properly. He smirked back at her as he climbed into the tub. It was large enough to fit several people but of course he settled on a seat right beside her.

"You better take that dress off and let it dry or you're going to be walking back to the dorms in your underwear," he said casually, as if it wasn't his fault that it was wet. He spread his arms out over the back of the tub, watching her with a smirk.

Bianca internally debated which would be worse, then decided that showing up in her underwear after meeting with one of the leaders would certainly mar her reputation. Moving as far away from Eric as she could, she sank down into the water and quickly peeled the black material of her dress off. She then draped it over the side of the tub to dry. Her heels clunked on the deck as they were removed as well.

"Happy?" she questioned him as she settled into a seat next to a pulsing jet, the moving water feeling delightful on her sore muscles. She attempted to keep as much of her body below the surface as possible, only the very top of her strapless bra peeking out.

Eric rolled his eyes at her, whether for her coy behavior or her snappy attitude she didn't know. "Getting there," he responded simply.


	4. Chapter 4

Bianca hit the mat with a gasp, the air leaving her lungs and temporarily stunning her. She rolled to her side just in time to miss the fist heading for her face, making her opponent hit their fist against the mat instead of her nose. She desperately kicked out her legs and made contact with soft tissue, making all the men in the room groan in unison.

"Oops," she muttered as Will fell to his knees, his hands folded over his crotch. She felt guilty for the cheap shot, even if it did work in her favor. The transfer who had been kicking her ass now looked ready to vomit.

"Finish it," Eric's stern voice came from the sidelines. With a displeased glance towards him, Bianca mustered up the rest of her strength and punched Will in the cheek, sending him down in a heap. He wasn't knocked out, the soft moans of pain giving him away, but it was enough to satisfy Eric and his stupid 'no one forfeits' rule.

Bianca stepped off the mat and practically collapsed onto a bench on the sidelines, Marlene and Lynn flanking her. "What the hell am I doing here?" she mumbled, willing the tears away from her eyes. One of her friends handed her a wet cloth to wipe the blood from her face while the other gave her a water bottle.

"You're exactly where you belong," Marlene reassured, rubbing her back soothingly.

Lynn, ever the realist, added, "Probably not where you belong, but it's what you chose and now you need to deal with it. You're stronger than you think."

"I just took the lowest way out of a fight and then hit him when he was already down. Is that brave? Does that make me Dauntless?" Bianca was sick to her stomach over seeing Will's helpless face after she kicked him.

"I think Eric's next lesson needs to be how to deal with a fight emotionally," Marlene said with a smirk, nudging Bianca and getting the hint of a smile in return.

"Does he have emotions?" Lynn asked sarcastically, which made the three of them laugh out loud.

* * *

All of the initiates, transfers and Dauntless-born, were less rowdy than usual at dinner that night. The first day of fights had taken a lot out of them, physically and mentally. Up until that point everything they were doing had been easy to brush off as 'just training'. Now they were pitted against each other, with everyone's rankings at stake, and it was humbling.

Bianca was slowly picking at her food when that familiar, well-groomed and heavily-muscled figure came to stand beside her table. His jaw was clenched as he looked her over, his arms firmly clasped behind his back. Was that concern in his eyes? Bianca almost snorted at the absurdity. He was probably just pissed that someone had marred her face.

"How are you holding up, initiates?" Eric asked the group, but his eyes remained on Bianca.

The initiates each replied that they were fine, nobody daring to utter a complaint. Bianca nodded to him, silently telling him that she was okay. It seemed to placate him because he nodded back before moving on to the leaders' table. She thought that was the end of it, but a few minutes later, as she was making her way to the dorms for some much needed rest, she was yanked into that annoyingly familiar hallway.

"Seriously?" she asked, glaring up at Eric in the darkness. Why weren't there any lights in this hallway, anyway?

The only explanation she got from him was in the form of his large hands gently cupping her face, his eyes sweeping the bruised skin and appraising the damage. His jaw was clenched, his nostrils flared in irritation, but his grip on her was so delicate she couldn't help but relax against him.

"I'm going to kill him," Eric stated, and as much as Bianca wanted to believe he was joking, she knew he was completely capable and willing to do such a heinous act.

"If you kill everyone who hits me in the next few weeks, there won't be any initiates left," she replied, tentatively resting her hands on his wrists. His skin was warm and surprisingly soft, though the muscles were firm beneath the surface.

Eric shrugged without hesitation. "I'm okay with that."

Bianca ducked her head to hide a smile. She wasn't quite ready to let him see that she _might_ find him amusing. "How about, instead of killing the rest of my competition, you do this?"

She gently pulled his hands away from her face and wrapped them around her waist, then wrapped her own around his middle, securing him in a hug. She exhaled with content as she rested her head against his chest. It hadn't occurred to her until that moment that she'd been craving positive human contact ever since training started.

The was a split second where Eric was frozen in place before he reciprocated, pulling her flush against him so there wasn't a centimeter of space between their bodies. His chin rested on her head as his hands tenderly rubbed her back. "Okay," he answered simply, his voice laced with contentment.

* * *

Grunts of pain echoed in the training center once again the next day. This time multiple fights were taking place at once while Eric, Four, and Lauren walked throughout them, keeping sharp eyes on everyone. Bianca was waiting for her next fight and stretching with Lynn and Marlene when a commotion caught their attention. One of the transfers, Christina, was down and claiming she couldn't continue. Unfortunately for her, Eric was the closest instructor to their ring.

"You need to stop?" he asked, looking down at her.

 _Say no. Get back up._ Of course the girl nodded, making Bianca and Lynn both curse under their breaths.

"Okay. Let me give you a hand." He held his hand out to the girl, and she foolishly accepted. Bianca felt an unwelcome surge of jealousy as Eric pulled the girl up. It was only overshadowed by the sense of dread of knowing that something very, _very_ bad was about to happen.

"Stop him," Marlene whispered to her as Eric called for everyone to take a break.

They hurried after the pair as Eric led Christina out of the training center and into the tunnels. She didn't know what, if anything, she could do. But she knew she had to try.

"Eric," she said quietly as she caught up to them in time to see him place his hand on Christina's back. She remembered those hands on _her_ back just the night before and wondered where that gentle Eric was right now. He spared her a glance, a warning to stay back, before the shit hit the fan.

"You feeling a little better?" he asked Christina, sounding as if he actually cared. He was so good at faking it that Bianca couldn't help but wonder if he was always faking it, even with her.

"Yeah," Christina barely got out, and then Eric was throwing her over the side of the bridge they'd just walked onto. Her scream echoed in the cavern, followed by the shouts and gasps of the rest of the initiates.

Bianca tried to lurch forward but Lynn was at her side in an instant, holding her back. "Don't challenge him in public," she whispered, ever the voice of reason.

"Grab the rail," Eric commanded, "or don't." He let her hand slip from his grip and she desperately clung to the rusty bridge. "You've got three options: hang there and I'll forget your cowardice, fall and die, or give up. But if you give up, you're out."

To her credit, Christina hung onto that railing like a champion. Bianca wasn't sure, had she been in that position, she'd be able to do the same. One of her friends attempted to call out encouragement to her but was immediately silenced by Eric's sharp glare. As he turned to look back at Christina he caught Bianca's pleading eyes.

After a few more seconds he rolled his eyes and called, "Time." Two of Christina's friends rushed forward to haul the petite girl back up. "Dauntless never give up," he stated firmly, then turned and left them on the bridge.

The rest of the initiates started back towards the training room, but Bianca followed the young leader down the tunnel he'd taken. "Eric," she called firmly, making him stop in his tracks and turn towards her.

"Get back to training, initiate," he snapped, pointing a large finger in her face.

Summoning courage she didn't know she had, or perhaps straight adrenaline, Bianca moved swiftly to first slap his hand out of her way, and then connect her other palm to his face in a deafening smack. "You could have killed her!" she growled, pushing against his shoulders with all of her strength. He barely budged.

"And that would have been her own fault," he snarled back, snatching her wrists before she could push him again. "You need to start thinking like a Dauntless if you want to fit in here."

"Dauntless doesn't mean heartless!" she yelled, struggling in his grasp. "Or is that it? You have no heart, no feelings? Are you just faking whatever it is we have?"

"What do we have, Bianca? Hm?"

Bianca stilled, letting her arms drop, Eric's hands remaining locked around her wrists. "I... I thought it was just going to be business. I needed to get through initiation, you wanted _whatever_ it is you want..."

"I want you, Bianca. I thought that much was clear." Eric sounded exasperated.

"I know, but I thought you just meant, like, sex," she whispered the last part, her cheeks heating up. "But last night you were, I don't know, nice."

Eric rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, don't tell anyone. I have an image to maintain."

"So is that what that whole thing with Christina was? Upholding your image?"

"No, she totally deserved that," he replied firmly, but with the hint of a smirk. "Now can we get back to that part about sex?"

"Oh my god, you're hopeless," she groaned, finally detaching from his hands and retreating to the safety of the training center. His laughter her followed her down the hall.


End file.
